Jamshedpur (PTI): Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday said that perhaps the BJP could not convince the voters of Ghatsila assembly constituency about its fight for preserving the language, culture, tradition and the very existence of tribal society.

JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren won the by-election to Ghatshila assembly constituency in Jharkhand by a margin of 38,524 votes by defeating BJP's Babulal Soren, son of Champai Soren.

Champai the BJP MLA from Setaikela in a statement stated that "our fight in Jharkhand against changing demography and religious conversion due to infiltrators and for preserving the language, culture, tradition and the very existence of tribal society will continue".

Expressing his gratitude to the voters of Ghatsila assembly constituency for extending support, he said, "perhaps, this time, we were not successful to make people understand our stand and that's why (result of by-poll in Ghatsila)."

He said elections will come and go, wins and loss will keep happening, but our society must be saved, our existence must endure, tribal identity must be preserved, otherwise everything will be lost.

"Our struggle to protect the lands and religious-cultural heritage of tribals and indigenous people will continue," he said.

JMM central general secretary and national spokesperson Vinod Pandey told PTI that the faith of the people in the current government and the good work of late Ramdas Soren were the reasons for their victory with a huge margin in the Ghatshila bypoll.

"People's faith has increased in the Hemant Soren-led government. They have got what they had expected. This apart, Ghatshila people wanted this election to be a tribute to deceased leader Ramdas Soren, who had an untimely death in August this year," said Pandey.

JMM spokesman Vinod Pandey said, "I think Chief Minister and JMM President Hemant Soren's foresight and leadership, coupled with his wife Kalpana Soren's charisma and the party's people-oriented programmes were the major factors for the victory of Somesh."

The people of Ghatsila have reposed faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, he said.

Jharkhand Transport Minister Deepak Birua, who campaigned for the party candidate Somesh Chandra Soren, hailed the victory as "team work".

Party leaders, workers, as well as coalition partners, worked unitedly to ensure Somesh's victory, Birua told PTI.

Hailing the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren, Birua said they led the party workers from the front.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo told PTI that the party would introspect on the reason for the defeat in Ghatshila bypoll.

"We had reached out to the last mile during our campaigning, but the result was not what we expected. We will introspect on the result and carry forward the lessons learnt from this by-poll," said Sahdeo.

 

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Mumbai (PTI): Flight operations at the Mumbai airport will remain suspended for six hours from 11 am on May 7 as the two runways will be shut for pre-monsoon maintenance works.

During the period from 11 am to 5 pm on May 7, both runways -- 09/27 and 14/32 -- will be non-operational and stakeholder coordination began six months earlier to help airlines realign flight schedules in advance, airport operator MIAL said on Monday.

The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), owned by the Adani Group, said the annual pre-monsoon maintenance is crucial for preserving the health and longevity of CSMIA's expansive airside infrastructure, covering 1,033 acres.

"Specialists will inspect runway surfaces for wear and tear, addressing preventive measures to ensure safe landings and take-offs during the monsoon season. CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) also leverages modern machinery and exhaustive planning to monitor the entire maintenance process, ensuring timely execution within the designated six-hour window," it said in a release.

CSIMA, one of the busiest airports in the country, has two runways.